Warren Redlich – Page 432

Avenue Q at West Boca Theatre – Tonight!

Slow Burn Theatre is putting on the show Avenue Q in West Boca starting tonight. The performances are at 12811 Glades Road, also known as West Boca Community High School.
We’ve seen Avenue Q. It’s a great show but parents should be careful – it would probably carry an R rating in the movies. The name Avenue Q and the show itself are both twists on Sesame Street, and it gets pretty twisted.
The show is on tonight and tomorrow (Friday and Saturday, October 26th and 27th) at 8 pm, and Sunday at 2 pm, and again the next weekend.

Palm Beach Post Endorses O'Hara

In a somewhat surprising move, the Palm Beach Post has endorsed James Ryan O’Hara, the Republican candidate for State House in the district that includes West Boca.
I’ve met O’Hara several times and like him. His opponent, Kevin Rader, supports more sales taxes on the middle class. That would seem like an odd position but it’s common among Florida Democratic candidates and the district does lean Democrat.
O’Hara has an uphill battle, and not only because of the partisan disadvantage. Money is a big issue. O’Hara doesn’t have much of it, while Rader is the darling of all kinds of special interests.
I was surprised by the endorsement because I’m used to newspapers endorsing incumbents and favorites. Just like its endorsement of Dina Keever and intensely critical coverage of Dave Aronberg, the Post is demonstrating real independence. We need more of that in the media.

Why Would Palm Beach County Vote ‘Yes’ for Slot Machines?

On Tuesday, November 6^th, many important decisions will be made at the country, state, and county level. With the presidential debates completed, it is now time for voters to do their research to best understand what they will be marking on their ballot come election day. One option that will affect Palm Beach County specifically is the opportunity to vote on a referendum that will allow slot machines at the Palm Beach County Kennel Club.
Naturally, there are mixed reactions to such a referendum. Palm Beach County prides itself in being a family-friendly and safe county. Slot machines can lead to gambling addictions that can harm locals and tourists. However, there has been a great push in advertising in favor of slot machines. The question remains: Why would a Palm Beach County resident vote ‘yes’ for slot machines?
The “Coalition for More Jobs, Better Schools, and a Stronger Economy” is a free membership group that advances support for countrywide slot machine installation. The following is what this group states as the benefits of slot machines:
1. Improve the local economy by garnering local revenue from residents and tourists
2. Create more jobs
3. The taxes slot machine revenues are subject to will be used to increase public education
funding.
4. If passed, the referendum would allow access to slot machines where gaming
already exists
5. Slot machines produce new tax revenues that can be used to fund different efforts
within the county
Will the benefits outweigh the opposition? Only November 6^th will tell how liberal the residents of Palm Beach County are in their efforts to help the county while keeping it safe.
More information can be found here:
Vote ‘Yes’ for Slot Machines in Palm Beach County

Palm Beach County Schools Closing Early Thursday; All Day Friday

Due to Hurricane Sandy, Palm Beach County schools will close three hours early on Thursday and all day Friday.
For more details, read the Palm Beach County Schools News
Apparently the forecast high winds can pose problems for school buses. That makes sense. Seems a little premature to cancel Friday already. But if you’re in their shoes, it might seem like the prudent thing to do.

Steve Perman on the November Election

Rep. Steve Perman, a sitting member of the Florida House, and a West Boca chiropractor with his practice in Mission Bay Plaza, offers his take on the November election. We thank Dr. Perman for offering his insights.

I believe that the greatest deterrents to putting the best people in office to govern and legislate are three things: Ignorance, Apathy and Cynicism: not knowing, not caring and no longer believing that things can improve. This year, the presidential race has divided the country more than ever before. And, in addition to differing ideologies between the two parties, it also revolves around which side can spend more money to use every

possible media outlet to boost their appeal to their respective bases and denigrate the opponent. Now that the third and final presidential debate has aired, the jockeying for the last sliver of the electorate, the elusive “undecided” voter, carries us down the home stretch to November 6^th.

We are told, accurately I believe, that the final result will be decided in the so-called “swing” or “battleground” states, with particular attention to those with the largest number of electoral votes, Ohio and Florida. It is worth noting that the differences between these two states are rather stark. At the risk of oversimplification, Ohio is generally characterized as a “blue-collar”, industrial, land-locked, Midwestern state, while our own Sunshine State is coastal, right-of-center except for a few geographic clusters (notably Palm Beach and Broward counties), focused on tourism and agriculture as our main economic drivers and has the largest concentration of seniors/retirees of all fifty states.

Going back to my original points that open this article, I am concerned that too many voters will take the barrage of one-sided ads and the skewed points-of-view of Fox News on the Right and MSNBC on the Left as their sole sources of information. All of these are flawed to a greater or lesser extent and I expect that too few voters will look beyond them as they form their opinions and choices. I think that passions are running very high in this election so that while the voters may be less apathetic, the progressives are scrambling to “get out the vote” and at the same time many states with strong conservative legislative majorities, such as Florida, have made unabashed efforts to make voting more difficult for likely Democratic voters (under the dubious guise of reducing voter fraud—which experts agree is almost non-existent). This will still have impact even though a number of states, notably Pennsylvania, have had their State Supreme Courts overturn or reverse all or part of these restrictive new voting laws.

And finally, the issue of cynicism. This looms large, as I have heard so many potential voters express that with regard to our economy, the hole is so deep, that neither candidate has a feasible strategy to lift us, as a nation, up and out of the morass in a timely fashion. So, still craving a better tomorrow, as many of us, thankfully, still do, we ultimately make our choice based on the “right-or-wrong track” evaluation of our two candidates. The arresting and apparent reversal, though gradual, of the downward spiral of our economy since the devastating economic crash that immediately preceded the last Presidential election is the economic rationale for Obama’s re-election (we are creating millions of jobs as opposed to losing them and the stock market has more than doubled), while putting a “businessman” in charge is the battle cry for Romney’s camp. Secondary to the economy, but still of great critical importance to our nation’s future, are the issues of health care, women’s rights, foreign policy, including the “powder keg” that is the Middle East, and who will be choosing the next to Justices on our Supreme Court. In all these areas, I find enough differences between the candidates that American voters, for the most part, are dramatically, and it seems, pretty evenly divided and no one will be surprised if the outcome on Election Night will be one of the closest ever, perhaps even rivaling the Bush-Gore race of 2000. And, whoever prevails with still have to contend with a harshly partisan (read: dysfunctional) U.S. Congress. As the old curse goes: may you live in interesting times. Stay tuned–its going to be a real nail-biter.

Rep. Steve Perman, D.C.

currently serving FL House 78